The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Sprint has entered into an agreement with Apple to purchase over $20 billion worth of iPhones over the next four years — that’s around 30 million iPhones. It’s said that Sprint won’t even break even on the transaction until 2014, which is surely a huge risk on Sprint’s part, but why? I have been going back and forth for weeks with one of my incredibly solid industry contacts on a piece of information that I couldn’t really process at first — information that is so unbelievable, even from a source this solid, that I couldn’t report it. With this new WSJ report on an Apple/Sprint deal, however, it doesn’t look so crazy. Hit the break for more.

I have been told that Sprint will be getting the iPhone 5 — yes the real iPhone 5, not the iPhone 4S — as an exclusive. And it will be a 4G WiMAX device. AT&T and Verizon would launch the iPhone 4S and get the iPhone 5 some time in the first quarter of next year as an LTE device. Globally, the iPhone 5 might be available as a 4G HSPA+ device.

In this scenario, the iPhone 4S Apple will introduce tomorrow will feature the following:

A low voltage Apple A5 CPU (it won’t be the same as the iPad 2 chip, clock for clock).

Updated front and back camera sensors. FaceTime HD in the front, 8-megapixel 1080p HD video recording in the back.

Multiband 3G Qualcomm chipset — North American & International GSM/UMTS/HSPA bands for AT&T and Global carriers, North American CDMA & International GSM/UMTS/HSPA bands for Verizon and Sprint.

NFC support.

Metal or “premium” plastic on the back case.

And here is what my source said about the iPhone 5 that will launch as a Sprint exclusive:

Faster CPU.

Larger 4-inch screen, similar to LG’s NOVA display but with a higher resolution.

1GB of RAM.

Slightly larger design overall, but thinner and with a larger battery.

32GB of storage.

iPhone 5 exclusive software and APIs (Assistant).

Dedicated Assistant button, possibly integrated with the new home button, “think gestures or a two-stage button like a camera shutter key).

I told my source that even if Sprint paid Apple hundreds of millions, a Sprint iPhone 5 exclusive still would never happen. $20 billion in guaranteed iPhone sales, though? We’ll see tomorrow.

This is moronic, and how ANYONE can actually buy into this tripe is beyond me. There is NO WAY IN HELL Apple would sign an “exclusive” contract with the *number THREE* carrier in the U.S. for the iPhone. Sprint’s market share compared to Verizon’s and AT&T’s is so small that you’d have to be brain-dead to consider such an asinine arrangement, especially when it took this long to get Verizon into the fold.

BGR should be kicked in its collective ass for posting this nonsense.

Anonymous

The WSJ story doesn’t mention exclusive as in only Sprint. I don’t think Cook is going to piss off the loyal Apple fans with a move like this as one of his first moves at the helm.

http://twitter.com/JarScottPeters Jared Peters

I utterly doubt this. Apple is a massive company, it is not in their interests to restrict a major new product. Sorry, but this one’s bollocks.

http://twitter.com/RichardGilboy Richard Gilboy

You mean like how they did it with AT&T?

Anonymous

The reason behind that was because Cingular was a partner, they shared network engineers to work with Apple engineers on how Cellular technology worked. In exchange AT&T would get an exclusive contract.

Apple paid its dues to AT&T, it owes Sprint nothing & they learned the hard way dealing exclusively with AT&T for so long. Plus Sprint is #3 carrier so expect a worse network performance for customers than AT&T.

Anonymous

there would be riots

His Shadow

Ridiculous.

Anonymous

Pure and Simple hogwash. Apple ended its exclusive nightmare with AT&T to get out of a one way bad relationship. Think they are going to enter another with the third of the biggest four? That is moving backwards, plus Apple knows exclusive is not the way to go.

http://profiles.google.com/eric.j.brown1 Eric Brown

It both makes me excited an worried. On one hand, awesome for Sprint (and me) on the other, this could cause a huge influx of customers and huge strain on 3g data networks, that could suck. Any one planning on switching if this pans out??

http://twitter.com/marcsfogel marc s fogel

Yes, I will switch back to Android on Verizon!

somedude0123

Are you joking? Hell no I’m not switching to Sprint. Been there, done that, never again.

http://twitter.com/JGBarnes21 Jody Barnes

I am a Verizon/Android customer very intrigued with the new iPhone but I wouldn’t blow Verizon off to try out a new phone that might suck…

WOW what happened to BGR ? Every 2 minutes today posts that are nonsense ….. BGR you used to be cool man…

GinaDee

But Sprint is all about fairness, equality and compeitition. Clearly Sprint would never stoop to a level of trying to buy their way to get an exclusive on the hottest phone in the market. That would go against everything they stand for and be hypocritical of their opposition to AT&T. They’d never do that. (sarcasm)

Jk

first of all sprint isnt worth 20 billion all together, second with the tmobile atnt acquisition war going on there is no way they can afford to release that much cash…..retarded article

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_T3NRV5OOEQS5Y52QG6WG6SMTEU ML

Jonathan, if this is true, I take back my last comment about you cheerleading. If true, this is a huge story.

Large_Farva

Its not true, Johnathen is just an obese idiot that constantly makes up stupid a$$ articles to get morons to believe him and draw up confusion. Other more reputable sites constantly make fun of him for his idiocy.

Anonymous

im an iphone lover but not even the iphone can drag me to the hell hole that is sprint.
Tried sprint a few years back and i vowed never again. By far the worst carrier. At least in SE CT.

Anonymous

Yeah, no way Apple is giving Sprint a 4G WiMAX iPhone 5 AS AN EXCLUSIVE when Sprint is ditching WiMAX for LTE next year.

Yupp.

Why doesn’t Apple just buy Sprint?

http://twitter.com/iMarky_Marc Marc Jarvis

Buying any US carrier wouldn’t make sense when your top product has been launched globally.
Plus most of the world is GSM tech. There’s many other reasons but hey you get the point lol.

Michael Bau

The WSJ article says nothing about exclusivity

http://twitter.com/skylite22 Mr. Brett

Wait… then why would AT&T call ‘no call off’ time AND get cases for the iPhone 5? this is just to add to the hype and worry. The deal may be true. But the speculation of other carriers not getting it can’t be.

dima

Hard to believe, but super interesting if true.

Large_Farva

You’re such an idiot. You just think this garbage up and post like it could be at all credible. I really hope you become homeless one day and get raped under a bridge daily by a bunch of dirty smelly men.

http://www.sakurawalker.com iEric

I hope you are wrong. No way I am leaving AT&T for Sprint.

Anonymous

There is no way I would switch to Sprint just to get the iPhone 5 and there is no way I’m waiting another quarter for the iPhone 5 on AT&T. I’ll just scoop up a Samsung Galaxy S II if this pans out.

Anonymous

If you don’t like waiting, you probably won’t like the average wait for OS updates on a non-Nexus Android either.

http://twitter.com/JGBarnes21 Jody Barnes

If this is true, the Nexus device would be the way to go!

Marquet

Way to treat your loyal customers Apple!!

Anonymous

This sounds a bit too rich – especially the NFC part…

http://twitter.com/nickdube Nicholas Dubé

This would be huge..and better not happen in Canada…I want the best one and will pay full price for it haha